Photovoices: Empowering Communities in … Empowering Communities in Katingan through Photography Government officials, scientists and NGOs working on REDD+ strategies can learn

Photovoices: Empowering Communitiesin Katingan through Photography

Government officials, scientists and NGOs working on REDD+ strategies can learn

from the men and women who are living and working in Katingan. Photovoices applies a unique methodology – using

village photography and storytelling – to help bring local knowledge from

communities into the REDD+ dialogue and to inform government and others about

the need for economic and community development.

© Bambang Susanto - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Photographers Photovoices - KatinganKampung Melayu Village

,Ardiansyah, Apuk Harto, Ernawati, Juliansyah, Karyadie, Sunarto, Sri Indah Purnama, Syaliansyah

Tewang Kampung VillageAbidin, A.Kursani, Eko Setiawan, Hamdiansyah, Junaidi Fadli,

Madlatul Audah, Norasikin, Saparudin, UmarsidiTumbang Bulan Village

Feri Fadli, Hartamansyah, H.Anto Purwanto, H.M Yusran,Ijai, Ruslan, Sofian, Yulia Friska, E d y

Galinggang Village, Baniansyah, Dihim,Ifah, Mardayan, M.Syarif Fadlly,

M.Zainuddin Ningkui Kambran, Rusdiansyah, Subli, Suharman

Field Coordinator Andaman Muthadir

Field FacilitatorsAry Hanggara, Decky Zulkarnaen, Bambang Susanto, Mambang Rena

Data AnalystWidya N. Permana

Photovoices InternationalAnn McBride Norton, Photovoices President Director International

Saraswati, Indonesia Program Coordinator

Photovoices Project OfficeJl. Bypass Ngurah Rai No. 121XSanur - 802227 Bali. Indonesia

Telp. : +62 361 285298 , Fax. : +62 361 284178www.photovoicesinternational.org

Photovoices Katingan is a joint project between Photovoices International with Yayasan Puter Indonesia, supported by Clinton Climate Initiative

© Eko Setiawan - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Forward

Photovoices International is pleased to present this book of photographs and stories from men and women living in Katingan, Central Kalimantan. Photovoices rests on the belief that government officials, scientists and NGOs have much to learn from the people who inhabit the world’s special places. Conservation and development strategies are far more effective when they incorporate local knowledge, honor traditional practices and build partnerships with the people based on understanding and respect

Through the Photovoices project, thirty Katingan villagers were selected as local photographers—including men and women of different ages and social status with a variety of roles in the community. A skilled professional photographer taught the local people how to use the camera to document biodiversity and other core issues like poverty, health, education and ideas for alternative livelihoods. Each month, facilitators from Puter, a partner NGO, along with local facilitators, talked in depth with the people of Katingan and wrote down their stories behind the photographs.

This visual and narrative information from men and women living in Katingan -- not available from any other source-- provides in-depth local knowledge to help develop conservation and sustainable development plans and to create alternative livelihoods

for the future based on the real needs of the people.

During the final two months of the Photovoices Katingan project, the Photovoices facilitators will bring together the village photographers and others in the community to discuss the pictures and stories to develop agreement in the community about priority issues and important themes that have been documented through the Photovoices project and how they will present these results.

Photovoices will hold an exhibition in Kasongan, Central Kalimantan in May which will bring together government officials, the Katingan village photographers, NGOs, the media and other stakeholders to discuss the important themes and strategies that have emereged from the Photovoices pictures and stories and how this local knowledge can be incorporated into building and supporting conservation and sustainable development for the future of Katingan and the lives of the people.

Ann McBride Norton President Photovoices International www.photovoicesinternational.org

Photovoices International: Empowering People through Photography

Photovoices International was launched in 2000 in Yunnan Province China with the first projects undertaken with Tibetans and other ethnic groups in the eastern Himalaya mountains.

In Indonesia Photovoices has completed projects in Lamalera, Lembata in eastern Indonesia, with the world’s last traditional whaling village; in Danau Sentarum in West Kalimantan, an area of high biodiversity and cultural significance; in West Java in the traditional village of Ciptagalar and with Park Rangers in the adjacent Gunung Halimun Salak National Park and with Muslim women in West Java seeking more participation in government.

Photovoices is in the closing phase of its most recent Indonesia project in Gunung Lumut with the Keharingan people, the original people of Borneo who maintain a close connection to their culture and its relationship to the protection of nature but also seek better living conditions and sustainable livelihoods

The Photovoices Katingan project is the first time Photovoices has applied its community engagement methodology with a REDD+ project and as a way for scientists, government officials, NGOs and others working on `strategies in Katingan:

• to hear villagers’ unfiltered opinion and to learn from their expertise;• to design better REDD+ strategies to protect the environment that include

local knowledge, are accepted by the people and sustainable over time;• to understand and be able to address community needs like clean drinking

water, better education, alternative livelihoods and women’s health,• to build partnerships with local people based on understanding and

respect

Photovoices is also scheduled this year to launch new projects in Mozambique and in Myanmar.

About Photovoices International

© Hendri Saleh - Photovoices Katingan Doc

© Hery Gunawan - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Training. The 30 local photographers from Tewang Kampung, Kampung Melayu, Tumbang Bulan and Galinggang village receive training for three days in how to use the camera and the basics of good photography.



Taking Pictures. Through their photographs, the people create visual documentation about nature, culture, village life and other issues of interest or concern such as, economic development, agriculture, health care, women issues and water resources.

Completing the group discussion (FGD) at four villages sites. In this meeting key people in the community joined Photovoices participants to discuss the

information/community stories already produced and to list the important information not yet captured. This list will be priority targets for the next

month’s documentation.

© Bambang Susanto - Photovoices Katingan Doc © Andaman - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Getting Stories behind the Photographs. The value of the photography is greatly enhanced by the stories the people tell about their pictures. Facilitators, working in pairs, meet with the Photovoices photographers each month to discuss the pictures--writing down the stories and downloading photographs along with the stories on the computer. Others in the community are also engaged in the conversations and encouraged to give their ideas about the pictures

Village Facilitation

Economic Issues Documentedby people

Economic Crisis

Lack of cash money for food, school fees, and other basic needs

Other Economic needs:

Unemployment, Mining (helps bring in cash money but creates other serious problems), lack of electricity and need

for fire wood collection,

Alternative livelihoods;

Land farming, Fish farming, rattan, Rubber tree/Jelutung, swallow nests,

rising poultry and small businesses like warung.

© Subli - Photovoices Katingan Doc © Juliansyah - Photovoices Katingan Doc © Suharman - Photovoices Katingan Doc

In Tewang Kampung village, in the seventh and second month of the year people are opening their land and burning the field during the ninth and tenth month of the year, then they will start to plant rice paddies and harvest the crops on the first and second month of the next year.

© Decky - Photovoices Katingan Doc

© Des Syafrizal - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Rice Paddies that can be grown in dry land, are the main agriculture product of Tewang Kampung village. The main obstacles for rice paddy development and other agriculture products in Tewang kampong and other villages are wild pigs. The wild pigs destroy the field and eat the plants the people have grown. People are overwhelmed to deal with this pest and they are almost desperate. Various ways have been undertaken to solve this problem but there are no results.



This activity is called meihik: threshing the rice by stepping on the rice until the grain separates from the stem. This is a traditional way to thresh the rice in harvesting season in Tewang Kampung.

The women in the picture is harvesting the rice paddy using gentu (Ani – ani), a special tool used to harvest by cutting the upper part of the stem. They usually harvest the crops together. In

Tewang Kampong, harvesting the rice paddy takes place in the first and second month of the year.


The kind of local rice that are planted in this area are

Pekat, Humbang, Jawa, Bungur and Seruyan.

In Galinggang when floods come, it brings red peat water with high acid content which will kill the plants that are not strong enough to live in peat water, for

example; vegetables. Where as in Rangaseha hamlet, located a little higher than the other villages, the residents of this hamlet are able to plant vegetables and chilies

in their garden in the back yard. The vegetables and chilies that they planted, grow very well.


© Karyadie - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Bapak Sahran, is the leader of rattan harvesters in his land which is located on the side of Kampung Melayu river. This day, they collected 2 quintals of rattan and

they sold the rattan for IDR 300.000. This revenue was divided equally with other member after being reduced by the cost for the fuel for the boat

Collecting rattan is a side activity that the residents of Galinggang do when fishing can’t give good results. This activity is not fully developed yet. This is because of the difficulty of harvesting rattan and the price in the market is not equal to the effort to collect.

© Ningkui Kambran - Photovoices Katingan Doc


Nanang and Dayat are brothers, and they tied up the rattan in their plantation in Tanjung Kajang Pamali, on the sides of Katingan river between Rangan Seha and Galinggang village. This is before the rattan was brought to their village in Galinggang. They left home around 7 – 9 am, and they collected the rattan around 9 – 12 noon. They will go home in the afternoon or the evening.

© Ningkui Kambran - Photovoices Katingan Doc

There are two types of rattan : Sigi rattan (it grows up in the trees, and it is softer) and Irit rattan (it creeps on the ground). Bulu rattan (which grows as vines in the trees, and it is softer than Sigi). All are growing wild in the forest, and they are also collected by the people. Recently, the people are trying to plant Bulu rattan in their plantations. Once the rattan is planted, it can be harvested after 5 years. And in the future the people can harvest (memagat) in 1 - 2 years. The rattan grows 2 meters every year.

Rattan is a very important resource and economic potential in our village but the price is still low. We don’t know what the real market price is so we just trade the

rattan with the price that buyers say --even though we know it is not fair.

© Juliansyah - Photovoices Katingan Doc

© Dihim - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Another kind of rattan has a bigger trunk and is collected to be used as materials to make fish traps, or to be sold for furniture such as chairs or table legs. This kind of rattan is called Halatung, Dahanen, and Ahas and grows naturally wild in the forests.

The way to sell rattan in Tewang Kampung, is by selling to the middlemen who will collect the products and will bring the

rattan to the merchant’s boat in Kasongan. Irit rattan are sold for IDR 1200/kg, Sigi rattan are sold for 1400/kg. They are

dolls using pikul measurement (one grown man’s load), one Quintal, or per 100 kg.



This plant is Purun, a kind of grass which grows in

swamps or in old pits. Its stem can be used as a rope,

or it can be woven to be a mat or a bag. Currently,

Tewang Kampung, Kampung Melayu and Tumbang

Bulan residents are only able to utilize this plant as

a material to produce mats. Purun can be found easily in Perpupuk and Perigi village,

and Perigi and Perupuk residents usually sell Purun to be weaving materials to

the villages downstream, for example; Tewang Kampung,

and Kampong Melayu. The value of a shoulder-load of

dry Purun is IDR 6000, and this amount can be used as materials to produce 4 – 5

sheets of medium-sized mats.

© Mardayan - Photovoices Katingan Doc

A mother in Galinggang is shredding rattan. The refined rattan rope will produce the material to be used in weaving.

A woman in Tumbang Bulan is splitting rattan before it is shredded-- in our language, dijangat. After the rattan is shredded, the refined rattan rope will be the material to make lukah (bubo), a type of fish trap.


© Hamdiansyah - Photovoices Katingan Doc

In Tewang Kampung Village, weaving Purun is a side activity for women. Currently, the mats they produce can only be sold among the villages to fulfill internal needs.

They expect to be able to produce more products with Purun as materials in the future, including products that can be sold in the market.

It takes a week to produce a sheet of two meter-wide mats made of Purun.

© Andaman - Photovoices Katingan Doc


Nini Masniah (Mama Sihan) is producing luntung made of bamban. She usually finishes a luntung in two and a half days. Her luntungs are sold to the residents of the village for 20,000 each.

© Ary Hanggara - Photovoices Katingan Doc


Pak Alman is 103 years old and lives in Tewang Kampung. Although his age is more than 100 years, he is still very skillful in weaving shrimp tempirai. Tempirai is made of Dahanen, bamboo, and woven rattan. He sells the tempirai that he makes for IDR 12.500 each.

© Widya - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Making a Jalur – a boat used by the people living in Tumbang Bulan that is made from Jingah (Rengas) wood. The other kinds of wood used to make boats are: Meranti,

Bungur, or Salumbar. These kinds of wood can be easily found growing on the banks of the Katingan River.


View of Tewang Kampung village. The village area: 32.988, 507 Hectors, 5 km north from the center of mendawai sub district. The village is inhabited by 169 people: 441 men and 313 women. 520 farmers, 10 fishermen, and the remaining: 7 merchants, 15 workers, and other categories: 202 people.


Swallow bird nests. Is a really good economic potential. The profit that we make for 1 kg of dried swallow nest is Rp 8,0000,0000 - 10,000,000 but it takes a long time to harvest and if we are lucky we can be harvest in two years but to return the money for building the house for the bird nest is also

expensive so this is not a profitable solution and we need other alternative livelihoods.

© Junaidi Fadli - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Fishing is one of the livelihoods of the people living in Kampung Melayu. Approximately 15% of the people are fishermen who mostly catch Tampahas fish that can easily be found in Rasau River, near the border of Tewang Kampung village. The tool used to catch the fish is made of rope and the catch will be sold to the locals or people living in other villages.


The canals and creeks become the transportation routes for the people to go to the field or to other villages. In summer these canals and creeks are sinking,

therefore it is difficult for the a boat to go through them. Because of the difficulty of the terrain, the risk of damage to the boat, and the price of the fuel,

the cost of owning the a boat is very high.

It takes a whole day to collect rattan, beginning from 7am and the people will not be able to get back to the village until evening. People actually have the chance to collect the rattan during whole year in their plantation, but because the indefinite price and its tendency to be too low, people consider this the last option of alternative livelihood, when fish are difficult to get and the crops are not satisfactory.

© Mambang Rena - Photovoices Katingan Doc


Lukah (bubu) is a traditional tool to catch fish which is commonly used by the people of Tumbang Bulan. This tool can be made of Bamboo. The door of the bubu is called ‘mata’ or ‘eye’ because the shape resembles a human eye. If the fish go through this door, the fish will be get caught in the trap and will not be able to get out.

Nets an other tools for catching fish that the villagers use. A soft net with iron ballasts is thrown in to the river or lake and this net is called jala.



Bapak Dundun just came back from cacthing fish,.He caught Tabiring fish using a rengge /net.

The top of the bubu (lukah) is made of Dahanen and rattan or Lukah in Banjar Language or Bubu/Buwu in Dayak language. This tool is used for catching small fish like Sapat in the Bulan river, on the canals of the river, or on the sides of rasau trees that grow on the riversides.




© Dihim - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Nusa River is a place where people catch fish using different kinds of traditional tools including nets. Unfortunately, for the last 10 years this river has been narrowing down due to the growth of lung plant/water hyacinth, and other plants.

Amang Udin is a fisherman from Bulan River. He is fixing a Salambau. Salambau is one kind of tool used by people to catch fish. It is made of woven rope (rambat) and it has a big size (up to 3 x 10 meters or the same size of a canal. This tool will be installed in particular times, for example when the water is rising/high tide or when the water is sinking/low tide. Salambau is especially installed in the bottom of the canal, in the sides of big rivers using piles, and then they put hampang on the right and left sides.


Various types of tools are used to catch fish in the village along the Katingan River. Each type was designed according to its particular function. For

example, this Pasuran was designed to catch small fish, like Saluang and Banta. It is made of bamboo tied up with rattan, and the frame is made of Ahas.

The bait is processed bran, which clots and is put on the tip of a big bamboo pole. This pasuran will be thrown in the river and if the bait is bitten by the fish, it will fall inside the trap. The fish will eventually follow the bait and is not able

to get out of it, because the hole at the end is made of narrowed bamboo and woven rattan.

Tempirai is a tool used to catch fish, made of wires coated with plastic. One tempirai is 1 meter wide and costs IDR 30.000 and the bigger one might cost half a million. To catch bigger fish like catfish, the timpirai uses kabob with a round hole, and it uses bigger plastic wire. This tool can be used for approximately 6 months

© Anto Purwanto - Photovoices Katingan Doc


The water level in our river fluctuates. When the water level is very high and also when it is very low we can only catch a few fish.


Pak Anang in Tewang Kampung is making ketupat out of Bangkoang leaves.which is filled with tahi lala and is put as bait into the pengilar (fish trap).Some of the people also use hanau leave to make ketupat for the fish trap.


Farming ducks. Some of the Tewang Kampung residents just started farming ducks as one of their livelihoods and it runs pretty well. For now, because we only have a few ducks we don’t have many eggs. Because of

this we just can sell eggs to the people on the villages. In the future we hope we can increase duck farming and get more profit.

© Norasikin - Photovoices Katingan Doc

In the rainy season, floods cover much of the land and many kinds of plants are destroyed and in the dry season lands burn easily, making it very difficult for farming.


Ibu Kuriana is composing traditional herbs for health, body care, and beauty . The names of the herbs are Pucuk Sirih, Majakanim Majum.

The ingredients of the herbs are gathered from the plants they have planted around their neighborhood but there are also some particular

types of plants (roots and barks) that are gathered from the forests.

© Ruslan - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Tapah fish. It approximately weigh 10 kg and after this fish is cleaned “digarih” and salted it will be sold to the fish middlemen in the village. Tapah fish is easily found in Rasau River near the border of Tewang Kampung village.

Ibu Duyun, a Galinggang resident, is showing Tauman fish caught by her husband. Tauman fish is a predator that people catch in the Galinggang river

and they also breed this fish in the fish cages on the sides of the river. This fish is sold for 16.000/kg. People also eat this fish for food



Mothers in Tumbang Bulan are processing fish (Menggarih). After processing, the fish will be salted and sold to the middlemen in Tumbang Bulan Village.

The fish are generally sold for IDR 7000/kg but the price fluctuates, depending on the season and the catch. This fish are sometimes caught when the dry

season is about to end. To preserve fish, they are salted for 12 hours, then sun dried for several days before being sold to a middleman. The kinds of fish that are usually preserved are: Taoman - IDR 40.000/kg. Tapah – IDR 38.000/kg, IDR Baung – 40.000/kg, IDR Tabiring – IDR 32.000/kg, Lais Lentang – IDR

36.000/kg, Lais Bamban – 45.000/kg, Haruan/Gabus 28.000/kg.

This Karandang fish is easily caught when the dry season is about to end. The fish is caught using lukah, which is the same kind of bubu, a big fish trap made of bamboo. It is usually put in the Bulan River, around rasau trees which grow on the river sides. Karandang fish is sold to the middleman in Tumbang Bulan village for IDR 7000/kg after being cleaned “digarih”. This price is not stable but it depends on the season and the amount of the catch.



Sun drying patung fish. This fish is dried to be sold and consumed by the people of Tumbang Bulan. Normally, this sun drying process takes two days.

Dry lais fish are ready to be sold and the selling price is quite high. Lais Lentang is sold for IDR 36.000/kg. and Lais Bamban is sold for IDR 45.000/kg.



We called shrimp “ udang galah “ with we cacth by tempirai udang, a kind of tool special for cacthing shrimp. Coconut is used as the bait in the tempirai which has “mata” a hole for shrimp to come into the trap. Shrimp are easy to

cacth on the end of rainy season when the water start to get low. Usually on that season we can catch 4-5 kg per day and we trade to middle man with a price of

30,000 - 45,000 IDR per Kg.

Buntal fish. This fish can’t be consumed but children occasionally use it as a toy by swinging the fish, to make the fish blow and have funny shape and sound.

© Suharman - Photovoices Katingan Doc


Environment :Documented by the People:

Plants:Peat land and grasses,

Different kinds of Trees,Varieties of roots, Types of

Rattans,Orchids and other Flowers,

Varieties of mushrooms,

Animals & Fish:Wild Animals

Some of them very scarceVarieties of Birds,

Insects and Snakes

Threats:Natural disasters includingFlooding, draught and fire

Water QualityLoggingMining

Poor sanitation andRubbish

Unpredictable weather and water levels

© Hamdiansyah - Photovoices Katingan Doc © Hery Gunawan - Photovoices Katingan Doc © Hery Gunawan - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Going to ladang/land farming. Most

of the villagers use boats to go to

through the canals to their land for

farming. During the dry season it will

be really hard to get to the land because

many canals and creek are drying

up. Since the end of the 1990s, the floods (high tide) and the low tide

are unpredictable. Sometimes the dry

season lasts until December (low tide)

and in January - April the water rises

and there are many fish. The timing

for harvesting the fish in the lake is

also unpredictable. Before the 1990s,

according to the elderly, they were still able to plant

rice paddies on the sides of the lake or

river but now we are not able to do that

anymore.


A kind of Meranti batu tree which is most often used to build houses and boats. The wood is hard and grows well in peat land. The diameter grows to 100 cm and the height reaches 25 meters The wood can easily be found in Tewang village 3 km to the west from Katingan River.


When the season is difficult, some of the residents of Tewang kampung and other villages around this area will work as loaders for one of the legal logging company like’ PT Dwima who are based in the upper Katingan River.

These logs swept through Tumbang Bulan Village, and Kampung Melayu Village before being loaded onto the tongkang ship. The tongkang ships will take the logs, which are ready to be sold, through Pegatan village and then to

downstream of Katingan River to the sea.



Sebangkang Bahuang, a poisonous spider, was found in the garden behind Kampung Melayu, It is yellow and different from the spiders we commonly see. If a person gets bitten by this spider, the effect is the same as a scorpion bite. The person’s whole body will be stiff and he will find it hard to breathe. The local custom is to give fresh water to the person bitten by this spider.

This turtle (kelep) was caught using a pengilar (fish trap) in the lake when it flooded. Turtles are sold to the middlemen and sometimes they will be resold in Sampan or Banjar. The price is 15.000/kg.



Deer -- “menjangan”-- often pass by and look for food around the forests in Handel River, which crosses 4 km to the west of Tewang Kampung Village. People use this spot to put traps out for deer, and

they will check the trap 7 – 10 days after. The people don’t always get deer in their traps. It depends on their luck.

This kind of big chipmunk we call “mengkas” can be found in Tewang Kampung village. It usually eats fruits. Right now, this kind of chipmunk is very difficult to find, because the population has gotten smaller..



We call this flower “kembang buah suli” which has a sweet fruit and favorite food for mouse deer. This flower is easy to find on the high land in the forest.

Bubbut bird, This bird is easily found in Hendel River nearTewang Kampung village. It has a unique sound and if it sings, it shows that the water of the river

is rising. It is very itchy if the bird’s dropping touches our skin.



We called this bird “Sebaru” -- It is a crane, and this bird is looked after by the people. It was caught in Perigi village (a village in the north of Tewang Kampung village). This crane usually sits on the sides of the

forest on the western area of Katingan River to fish. But the population of this bird is decreasing.

The villagers call this bird “Burung Bekaka”. This kind of bird can be seen on the sides of the small or big rivers in Tewang Kampung.


© Sofian - Photovoices Katingan Doc

It is easy to find this Hornbill bird in this area a long the Katingan River.

This kind of snake is frequently found in the forest close to the villages and it is quite poisonous

© Sunarto - Photovoices Katingan Doc


We don,t know the name for this snake. This snake was found creeping on a pengilar ( fish trap) in Galinggang Village. This kind of snake is frequently

found in pengilar eating the people’s catch. This snake is also quite poisonous.

Merawa Snake. This snake inhabits the forest around the village, and it is very poisonous.



Parrot “ Betet” The population of the parrot is still pretty big and parrot are easy to find this in this area. The parrot loves to eat the young flower of the coconut.


We call this flower” bunga kepala kambing” because its look like head of goat

This is hampangau, an insect that is an enemy and a pest for rice paddies. The insect will eats the leaves and stems of the rice. People get rid of them using smoke. They will start a fire / rabun and the smoke will make this pest go away.



Proboscis monkey, Bekantan. This monkey lives in a group with more than ten members on a island near Kampung Melayu village.

This kind of eagle is frequently found across the river from Tewang Kampong village



This is a grasshopper, an insect that is a pest and an enemy of rice paddies and other plants.

This kind of frog is often found around the forests of Tewang Kampung Village.


© Rudiansyah - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Kulat bentilung is a kind mushrooms that can be eaten. People usually fry or broil the mushrooms which grow easily and spread around the village and

forest. The mushrooms usually live on rotten trunks of the trees

Kulat Sipa, a poisoned mushroom that grows well on moldy wood.



Uweh fruit grows in the ground in the form of a root/tuber. The fruit cannot be eaten but is used as traditional medication to give cool effects on a swollen

testicle.

Sepan Apui flower grows wild in the forest on the side of Handel River, near Kampung Melayu village. People don’t want to grow this flower around their house, because they believe that this flower can cause a fire in their house or disputes among the family.



This picture shows a kind of orchid found in the forest around the villages

This picture shows the fibrous roots of the trees on the sides of the peat swamp around Tewang Kampung village.



The Nusa River is a place where people catch fish using different kinds of traditional tools. Unfortunately, for the last 10 years this river has been

narrowing due to the growth of lung plant/water hyacinth, kompai, and because trees often fall down directly into the river. Because of this narrowing of the

river, the people’s travel on the river is often interrupted.

This picture shows a view of Sebangau National park from Gunung Bulan.



These swamps are located in Lantungan Hamlet, Galinggang village. This place also is used by the people to catch fish.This is a tropical peat forest around Galinggang Village.

© Subli - Photovoices Katingan Doc


© M. Zainuddin - Photovoices Katingan Doc

This is a picture of what is left of the forest on the side of the Nusa River burned in a fire in 2007. The forest fire was caused by a prolonged dry season and until now this area has not yet revitalized. Some people have formed a farmers’ group to utilize the area left by the fire. They plan to plant rubber trees and they have already submitted proposals to the government but the proposals have not yet been approved.

Sunset. This picture shows a beautiful evening in Galinggang Village, where the color of the rosy sun covers the village in an astonishing view. © Mambang Rena - Photovoices Katingan Doc

Social Issues Documented by People

Social Issues:

The changing of village life and decresed income after the end of illegal logging

Less income and greater need for cash money

People have few skills for other jobs

Because the area is remoute the people must relay on midle-man to sell their products

Infratructure needs:

Better school facilities

Better sanitation

More electricity

Better streets & bridges

Better public transportation

Health and Education

More skill medical personel

Better health education including women

reproductive health

More Teachers

Training in incresing farming, & fishing livelihood

Training in other alternative livelihood

© Bambang Susanto - Photovoices Katingan Doc © Hamdiansyah - Photovoices Katingan Doc © Madlatul Audah - Photovoices Katingan Doc

We have an economic crisis because people need cash for their daily needs and the school fees of their children. In addition, fishing and agriculture are not producing much money so people are getting poorer. This has made people leave the village to get income by working in the gold mines outside the village. We are aware that this is dangerous but we have no choice. We work in the mining site as miners or fuel/diesel sellers. Some time we have side jobs, like selling food and providing transportation services from Klaru River. Many families including children have gone to work in the gold mining, so that is why in our village many of houses are empty.


Galinggang village, the transition of Galinggang administrative area from the east regency of Kotawaringin (KOTIM) to Katingan regency occurred around 2001 when Megawati was serving as President. Galinggang is the last village in the south (downstream) of Kamipang sub district. It is consists of 10 neighborhoods (8 neighborhoods in Galinggang), 1 neighborhood in Rangaseha (North part - 30 families), and 1 RT in Lantungan (south, 53 families). Their main source of income is from fishing. In January 2012, 60% of Galinggang residents who counted on fishery as their main source of income found it hard to catch the fish due to the low water level in the river and lakes around the village. And when the rainy season comes, the water rise and it floods, so that also causes difficulties in catching the fish. The dramatic fluctuation of the water levels – which cannot be predicted has been happening since the end of the 1990s.




Clean water is one main issue in this village. We do realize that the water we consume every day is not suitable and clean due to the pollution of waste disposal, garbage, and mining activities in the upstream

that worsen the condition of the water. But since we don’t have any other alternative we still use the water for daily need. In the future, we really hope to have clean water source and good environment sanitation.

The school kids are taking water in the river to clean up their school. They do this activity once in every two weeks.

The new guest house for teachers in Tumbang Bulan village. The government give a grant to build the guest house.

The children of Mendawai Public school 2 in Tumbang Bulang are having a break after class. In this school, there are six classes with 100 students, 7

official teachers (government staff), and 1 contract teacher. Mendawai Middle School 2 in Tubang Bulan, is usually called “a one roofed school” and has 3

classes with 30 students, 6 official teachers, and 1 contract teacher.



This picture shows the atmosphere and activities in the school library of SDN 2 Mendawai in Tumbang Bulan. This library has limited kinds of books but it is

expected to have more books for children to read in the future.



This shows the the activities in Kampung Melayu public elementary school. The student in the picture is in the third grade, and she is practicing to read before the class.

Learning to read Qur’an. The children of Tewang Kampung, Galinggang, and Tumbang Bulan learn to read Qur’an everyday after school as a part of informal education.


Weddings are held after Hajj feast, before Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, for 2012, it is around December to January. The wedding ceremony is usually 3 day long, starting from the preparation (First day), the groom and the bride

meet in the aisle (Second day) and introducing the couple to each other’s family (Third day).

Halarat prayer is read to celebrate a new boat. Halarat means selamat or save, and this prayer is to intended to protect this small boat from danger and also to protect its owner and passengers. Halarat is also said for new houses and for other occasions.

© Yulia Friska - Photovoices Katingan Doc


In Kampung Melayu they do not have a teacher for the student to learn and read Qur’an yet and they are hoping the government will help to provide a Muslem relegion teacher “guru ngaji” because this is very important for Kampung Melayu kids who are all Muslem.

The women of Tumbang Bulan are participating in the election of the head of the village. This activity went very well, and organized, and all parties are willing to accept the final result, which elected Mr. Hj M Yusran as head of

Tumbang Bulan Village.

© Suharman - Photovoices Katingan Doc


The Mandi Baya Ceremony is performed for an expecting mother, when her pregnancy reaches 7 months. The Ceremony asks for the safety of the baby and to stop all dangers

from both the baby and the mother. When this ritual is completed, the mother is accompanied by her husband or one of her sons. This ritual is commonly performed by

the descendants of Banjar people and Mendawai people who inherited this tradition from their ancestors.

Tasmiah is a ritual to give a name to a baby. New born babies are named after their navel has healed or detached. That usually takes 10 – 15 days after they are born. This swing is believed to serve as the baby’s protector to keep him safe from the invisible creatures and from those with evil intentions.



Pak Ningkui is baby sitting his grandchild because the mother is out of the house selling for a living. The role of a father and grandfather in nurturing or babysitting children is the daily responsibility that are managed very well in this village.


A mother in Tewang Kampung Village enjoys playing with her children. They make artificial cars made of wood, and they seem to be very close. The role of a mother in assisting the growth and development of children is very important and it is started from the simplest thing, like playing with the children.


Electricity and fuel prices are two major economic issues the people face. Because of these issues, the children are studying using a wall lamp. With minimum lighting, they try to finish their school homework.


Firewood: In 24 hours, a family or a house will use on average 30 strips of firewood. A trip of fire wood is approximately 40 cm x 10 cm wide. More or less, a family will spend 1 tree (with 15 – 20 cm diameter wide and 3 – 5 meter high) in a week. The firewood is taken from the field, in the jungle, in the riversides or from the wood floating in the river.

Almost all villagers use wood fueled stove to cook their everyday food, because gasoline and gas fueled stoves are considered as pretty expensive and

they can’t afford to buy the fuel.



© M. Zainuddin - Photovoices Katingan Doc

For the children living along the banks of the Katingan River-- especially in a hamlet named Lantungan, located in Galinggang Village-- taking a bath can be a playful activity. The children jump around with different styles and they feel very proud when they are able to jump higher than the others.

“Photovoices” is away to get community participation in conservation and for people to have a voice through their photographs and stories to help conservation planners do

a better job.Lida Pet, PhD Marine Biologist

Coral Triangle Initiative

Documents

Photovoices: Empowering Communities in … Empowering Communities in Katingan through Photography Government officials, scientists and NGOs working on REDD+ strategies can learn